Google Keyword Planner is free, but it lives inside Google Ads: Google says you first complete your Google Ads account setup, including billing information, and create a campaign. Google has also said that advertisers with lower monthly spend may see a "limited data view" with ranges such as 1K-10K instead of one monthly figure, so this guide sets out what Google documents, what that range view hides, and how to read the exact figures for a city.
What Google asks before you can use it
Google calls Keyword Planner "a free keyword search tool to help advertisers build keyword lists for search campaigns". There is no fee for the tool itself. To reach it, Google's pages list these steps:
- A Google Ads account. Keyword Planner is part of it; there is no separate sign-up.
- Billing information. Google's help page says you must enter it and complete your account setup "to access basic features like keyword suggestions" (Google Ads Help).
- A campaign. Google's Keyword Planner page says you need to complete your account setup and create a campaign first.
- Expert Mode. The same page says an account in Smart Mode has to switch to Expert Mode.
Google's pages don't say you have to spend on ads to open the tool. But it was built for advertisers, and that shows in what it gives accounts that don't spend.
What Keyword Planner shows
Google's help page on Keyword Planner statistics defines the figures:
- Average monthly searches: "the average number of times people have searched for a keyword and its close variants", averaged over 12 months by default. Google says the statistics are rounded.
- Competition: how competitive ad placement is for the keyword, for the location and network you selected.
- Top-of-page bid, low and high: roughly the 20th and 80th percentile of what advertisers paid, from the last 30 days.
Two warnings on the same page matter for local research. Results are less accurate when you target a small geographic location, and volumes for several locations may not add up as you'd expect, because of the rounding.
You can see rounding like this in real data. Among the US roofing keywords we measured on 2 November 2026, four different keywords each show exactly 90,500 searches a month: "roof repair near me", "metal roofing", "roofing companies" and "roof repairs". Rounded figures are why different keywords often share the same number.
The range view: what Google has said
In August 2016, Google said on its AdWords help forum (AdWords is now Google Ads), as reported by Search Engine Roundtable, that "advertisers with lower monthly spend may see a limited data view in the Keyword Planner". In that view the average monthly searches column showed values such as 0, 1-100, 100-1K, 1K-10K, 10K-100K, 100K-1M and 1M+.
Google's current Keyword Planner help pages, which we read on 2 November 2026, don't describe the limited view, say what spend counts as "lower", or say what restores exact figures. So we won't guess at a threshold. If your account shows ranges, that is the view Google is giving it.
What a range hides in local research
For national head terms, a range is a rough guide. For local work it often erases the difference you were trying to measure. Here are exact monthly figures for two keywords in a few cities, next to the 2016-style range each one falls into.
| Keyword |
City |
Searches a month |
Top-of-page bid (USD) |
Range it falls in |
| plumber |
Houston, TX |
6,600 |
$20.00 to $76.25 |
1K-10K |
| plumber |
Austin, TX |
3,600 |
$33.09 to $113.13 |
1K-10K |
| plumber |
Boston, MA |
1,300 |
$13.30 to $58.70 |
1K-10K |
| roofer |
Houston, TX |
480 |
$25.00 to $68.79 |
100-1K |
| roofer |
Seattle, WA |
260 |
$19.01 to $76.00 |
100-1K |
| roofer |
Boston, MA |
110 |
No figure |
100-1K |
Monthly Google searches and top-of-page bids measured with KeywordQuasar on 2 November 2026. "No figure": no bid range was given.
With ranges, Houston and Boston look the same for both keywords. With exact figures, Houston has 6,600 searches a month for "plumber" against Boston's 1,300, and 480 for "roofer" against 110. If you are choosing which city to target, or telling a client how many people look for them, that difference is the answer.
Getting exact figures without running ads
There are three honest routes:
- Check what your own account shows. Some accounts see single figures. If yours does, Keyword Planner is all you need for the numbers.
- Use a keyword tool that shows one figure per city. KeywordQuasar, which we make, gives each keyword one average-monthly-searches figure for the place you pick, as in the table above. That is how the figures in this article were collected.
- Use a third-party keyword database. Tools such as Semrush and Ahrefs build their own volume estimates. They are useful, and they can differ from Keyword Planner's figures.
How KeywordQuasar shows search volume per city
KeywordQuasar, LeadQuasar's keyword tool, takes route two. You type a keyword and a city, county, state or country, and it shows the monthly Google searches for that place and language: always the latest monthly figures, with live trend charts. LeadQuasar doesn't adjust the numbers.
- The monthly figure for the keyword in that place. Under 10 a month, it says so rather than showing 0.
- Keyword ideas for the same place, each with its own monthly searches: up to ten on a free search in the US, UK and Canada, more on Plus and Max.
- Competition and the top-of-page bid range for each of them.
- A live trend chart, and how many businesses of that kind LeadQuasar holds in the place.
It is free to try with no account and no Google Ads setup: 5 searches a day with exact figures in the US, UK and Canada, and one preview search elsewhere. KeywordQuasar in full is part of the Plus and Max plans. As with any keyword tool, a small town's figure is less precise, so read it as a guide.
When Keyword Planner is still the right tool
If you run Google Ads, use Keyword Planner. It forecasts the clicks, impressions and conversions a budget would bring, and its keyword lists go straight into a Google Ads campaign. KeywordQuasar doesn't forecast. Our Google Keyword Planner comparison sets the two side by side.
Frequently asked questions
Is Google Keyword Planner free?
Yes. Google describes it as a free keyword tool for advertisers. To use it you need a Google Ads account with the setup completed, including billing information, and Google's Keyword Planner page says you create a campaign first.
Can I use Keyword Planner without spending money on ads?
You can open it once your account setup is complete and a campaign created. Whether you then see exact monthly figures or ranges depends on your account. Google said in 2016 that lower-spend advertisers may see a limited data view, and its current help pages don't say when that applies.
Why does Keyword Planner show 1K-10K instead of a number?
That is the limited data view Google described in 2016 for advertisers with lower monthly spend. It replaces the monthly figure with a range. Google doesn't publish the spend level that changes it.
How do I see search volume for one city?
In Keyword Planner, set the location to that city. KeywordQuasar shows the monthly Google searches for the city you type, free for 5 searches a day in the US, UK and Canada. Google warns that Keyword Planner's estimates for a small location are less accurate, and any tool's figure for a small town is a guide.
See exact monthly search figures for any city: try a free search on KeywordQuasar, no Google Ads account needed.
